Quartz

Quartz, the most common mineral found on the earth’s surface is a component of almost all the types of rock. Quartz has a wide variety with respect to variety, color and forms. Each quartz can be separated from the other in terms of color; shade; structure which includes pyramidal, prismatic, sceptered, phantomed; coating; tapering; stalactitic; concretionary; geoidal and banded. All these multiple combinations can lead to hundreds of unique possibilities.

Quartz is a part of the silica group. It is interesting to note that all other members belonging to this group are rare except quartz which can be found in abundance. Berlinite is a rare phosphate which shares its structural peculiarities with quartz. Quartz has a corkscrewing or helical structure of silicon tetrahedrons.

Though the color of quartz is as variable as the visible range of spectrum, the clear form is the most common. There are other colors as well which include- white or cloudy (named as milky quartz), purple (commonly known as amethyst); pink (also known as Rose quartz) and gray or brown or black (known as Smoky Quartz).

Quartz is a mineral that all the rock collectors like to collect as it is easily available. Yet two quartz stones can be so poles apart in terms of physical appearance that they won’t even look being a part of the same mineral.

There are notable deposits of quartz in Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Russia, some areas of Canada and USA and many localities of Africa. There are other deposits of quartz as well which are scattered in different parts of the world. Quartz is a mineral with such a huge variety that rock collectors are of the opinion that one can never have sufficient specimen.